With video games becoming more immersive and requiring more time to play, the phenomenon of game addiction is starting to appear. Is this a fad allowing therapists to cash in and make a quick buck? Or is it a new, serious, and growing issue amongst gamers? In today’s post, we will see it closely and analyze if the gaming addicts really need addiction treatment services from a facility such as Bi-Bett Corp.
Video games are supposed to be fun and inoffensive. In drawing individuals into worlds that are entirely different from their own, they have provided a perfect escape to the stresses of life. For children, games are even sneakier, convincing parents that they provide a great opportunity for them to play with their imagination. However, the underlying effects have led to serious concerns. In today’s societies, gaming addiction comes hand in hand with alcohol, gambling, and other traditional types of addiction, and it makes it a serious point of concern for us, especially parents. What is disturbing about this new trend of addiction is that it affects significant portions of the world’s population. As young as five years old, individuals might get hooked on the issues regarding compulsive gaming. It lays emphasis on the need to promote awareness of the seriousness that this new face of addiction brings to our society.
Video games usually lure people to a wonderful world where they maintain control, become easily powerful, and they become feel that they have become entirely different persons. Usually, it causes them to be detached from the realities and stresses of actual life. The psychological element that brings forth this addiction is the realization that there is a way to escape life and feel good about it. Existing in a fantasy world allows them to succeed and do things that they can never do with their own lives. The power of dominance and the feeling of sheer satisfaction are the factors that cause people to become weak to the addictive potentials of playing these forms of virtual games.
In the past, where crude graphics used to thrive, there were no problems regarding video game addiction. Older game designs used to have self-limiting features, making them repetitive and somewhat boring to play at some point. The incorporation of a more complex virtual world and game mechanics, more appealing graphics, and worldwide-based gaming made the used-to-be-harmless games more enticing. The satisfaction brought by the reward system that these games impose made them even harder to resist and more likely to promote addiction as they provide individuals with a great form of escape from the realities of their own lives.
Gaming addiction is characterized by the feeling of needing extended hours to play, the feeling of irritability or being miserable when prevented from playing the game, and the persistence of playing despite the adverse consequences brought by these virtual games. When not immediately treated, it will eventually get worse, depending on the type of game the addict is fond of playing. Thankfully, many institutions have already devised combinations of psychotherapy treatments to manage this modern-day form of addiction. In relation to that, many countries have taken the proactive side of implementing stricter rules and guidelines in the design of games.